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Season 1
Barney Miller - The Complete Series was released on October 25, 2011!
Airing on ABC primetime from 1974-1982 and seen by millions, Barney Miller is a situation comedy television series set in a NYC police station in Greenwich Village. Captain Barney Miller is the kind of cop we'd all like to meet. He somehow manages to maintain order over a group of inner-city detectives who gamble for a hobby, get hit on by anything in skirts, go to renaissance philosophy conventions for fun, and would really prefer to be writing. These colorful characters worked together to make one of the funniest sitcoms ever and is cemented in classic TV status. Stars: Hal Linden, Abe Vigoda, Jack Soo, Steve Landesberg, Ron Glass, and Max Gail.
Special Features:
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Photo Gallery:
Barney Miller Photo Gallery
Broadcast History:
First Telecast: January 23, 1975
Jan 1975-Jan 1976, ABC Thu 8:00-8:30 (OS)
Total number of episodes: 170 and pilot episode
Cast:
Hal Linden as Capt. Barney Miller
* Note: In one episode he actually spelled it out, holding up his name plate and
pointing to the letters, then added at the end "just like it sounds". Many tv reference books
spell it Wojohowicz which I guess is incorrect based on that particular episode.
Theme Songs:
Download the Barney Miller opening theme song in wav format
Download the Barney Miller opening theme credits (1st season) in mpg video format
Television's Greatest Hits, Vol. 3 CD
Includes the Barney Miller theme song - 65 total tv themes
For more information and to purchase from Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000000GOO/ref=nosim/happydaysonline
Series Summary:
Last Telecast: September 9, 1982
Jan 1976-Dec 1976, ABC Thu 8:30-9:00 (OS)
Dec 1976-Mar 1982, ABC Thu 9:00-9:30
Mar 1982-Apr 1982, ABC Fri 8:30-9:00
Apr 1982-Sep 1982, ABC Thu 9:00-9:30
Abe Vigoda as Det. Phil Fish (1975-1977)
Gregory Sierra as Det. Sgt. Chano Amenguale (1975-1975)
Maxwell Gail as Det. Stanley Wojciehowicz ("Wojo") *
Jack Soo as Det. Nick Yemana (1975-1978)
Ron Glass as Det. Ron Harris
Abby Dalton as Elizabeth Miller (pilot only)
Barbara Barrie as Elizabeth Miller (1975-1976)
Anne Wyndham as Rachael Miller (1975)
Michael Tessier as David Miller (1975)
Florence Stanley as Bernice Fish (1975-1977)
Linda Lavin as Det. Janice Wentworth (1975-1976)
James Gregory as Inspector Frank Luger
Ron Carey as Officer Carl Levitt (1976-1982)
June Gable as Det. Marie Baptista (1976-1977)
Steve Landesberg as Det. Arthur Dietrich (1976-1982)
George Murdock as Lt. Scanlon (1978-1982)
Alex Henteloff as Arnold Ripner
Paul Lieber as Detective Eric Dorsey (1982)
Download the Barney Miller ending theme song in wav format
Download the Barney Miller ending theme song - 2nd version - in wav format
Download the Barney Miller closing theme song - 2nd version with 4D Productions music bed tag in wav format
Download the Barney Miller opening theme song in midi format
Download the Barney Miller opening theme song in mp3 format
Barney Miller grew out of a rejected comedy pilot called "The Life and Times of
Captain Barney Miller," which aired as part of an ABC summer anthology called Just for
Laughs in 1974. In that pilot the action revolved equally around Barney's problems
at the police precinct house and his home life, with his wife Elizabeth and kids
prominently featured. But when Barney Miller made it to the regular ABC
schedule the following January, the family played a much smaller role (eventually they
were written out) and the locale became the Greenwich Village station house where
Barney and his motley crew spent their day.
Three actors besides Hal Linden came over from the pilot to the series: Barney's two kids,
David and Rachael, who soon disappeared, and a broken-down old cop named Fish. Fish was the hit
of the show. Not only did he look incredible, he sounded and acted like every breath
might be his last. Fish was always on the verge of retirement, and his worst day
was when the station house toilet broke down. He was constantly complaining about everything,
especially his seldom-seen wife Bernice.
There were ironies in Abe Vigoda's portrayal of Fish. Vigoda, 54, was in real life an
active athlete (he jogged and played handball), and the role for which he was previously
best known was quite different indeed--that of the ruthless Mafia leader Tessio,
in The Godfather. Vigoda became so popular that he eventually got his own series,
Fish
Others around the 12th Precinct station house were Det. Amenguale, the Puerto Rican; Wojo, the naive, trusting one; Yemana, the philosophical one who made coffee for them all; Dietrich, the know-it-all; and Harris, the wisecracking, ambitious black. Seen occasionally were Inspector Luger, the sometimes incoherent superior; Levitt, the 5'3" uniformed officer who wanted to be a detective, but was "too short"; Lt. Scanlon of Internal Affairs; and female officers Wentworth and Baptista. A continuous parade of crazies, crooks, con men, hookers, juvenille muggers, and other street denizens passed through.
Among the notable events of later seasons were Harris's emergence as a published author, with a lurid novel about police work called Blood on the Badge; and, in January 1979, the death of actor Jack Soo. Soo was last seen as Yemana in October 1978, but was so loved that a special episode was devoted to him the following May, with clips from past shows and reminiscences by the cast. At the end they all raised their coffee cups in a poignant farewell toast.
As the series declined in audience share during 1981-1982, the producers decided to end its run with an ironic twist. The discovery of an antique gun in the precinct house revealed that the building had been the headquarters of Teddy Roosevelt when he was president of the New York Police Board in the 1890s. In fact, Barney's office may have been President Roosevelt's office. As a result, the building was declared a historic landmark and the precinct forced to vacate. In the last episode, Barney received the long-awaited phone call from headquarters. The news was bittersweet: Barney was promoted to deputy inspector and Levitt had finally made sergeant; but the men of the precinct would be scattered to different locations throughout the city. The 12th was no more.
Series summary from The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows: 1946-Present
The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows: 1946-Present by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh
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For more information and to purchase, click below:
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Did You Know?
Eleven episodes showed scenes outside of the police station (Ramon, The Stakeout, The Hero, Grand Hotel, Fish, Wojo's Girl Part 2, Contempt parts 1 & 2, Chinatown Parts 1 & 2, and Eviction part 2)
Both 'Steve Landesberg' and Ron Carey guest-starred as felons before joining the regular cast.
One of the props used on the police station set was a chalk board the cops used to show whether they were on duty or off duty. When show ended, the chalk board was donated to Smithsonian Television Museum.
The episodes were orginally taped before a live audience. This element of the show was eliminated in later episodes.
The producers were approached during the run of the series about doing a feature film based on the show using the regular cast members. The film was never made.
Several references to the Broadway play and film "Flower Drum Song" were used in connection with Jack Soo's character Det. Nick Yemana. Jack Soo played Samuel Adams "Sammy" Fong in both the play (on Broadway) and the subsequent film.
Did You Know Facts from The Internet Movie Database
Message Board:
Have a question about Barney Miller, comment, trivia question, update on the
cast members, etc.? Then post your message on the:
Links:
Barney Miller TV Show Home Page
Barney Miller Episode Guide (classicsitcoms.com)
Barney Miller Episode Guide (epguides.com)
Barney Miller Episode Guide (TV.com)
Barney Miller page (Tim's TV Showcase)
Barney Miller (ClassicTVHits.com)
Barney Miller (Take Me to TV Land)
Internet Movie Database entry for Barney Miller
Wikipedia entry for Barney Miller
Fish (Barney Miller spinoff / Sitcoms Online)
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